health talk:with Dr Johannes Marisa
Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc in the world with close to 2 million people having succumbed to this deadly virus. The United States remains the biggest hit while Europe is shaking with countries like the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy being attacked left, right and centre. There seems to be no immediate solution. Africa has recorded fewer cases of Covid-19 and the total number of deaths for the entire continent of 69 960 is less than the 77 291 who have died in Italy alone. Zimbabwe has lately been hit hard by Covid-19 with more than 2 600 official cases in the past three days. This is the minimum number of cases the country can get as testing has not been as robust as expected. We need more of testing at the moment. We need all stakeholders in Covid-19 control to expedite the testing processes if we are to get the clearer picture of what is happening on the ground.
The second wave of Covid-19 should be understood by everyone. This is a serious attack that can result in a good number of casualties if care is not taken. It is good at this moment to remind each other of the symptoms and signs of Covid-19. The following should give you a hint that you may be attacked by Covid-19:
lFeeling cold or hot lHeadache lDry cough lSore throat lLoss of taste or smell lGeneralised body weakness lLoss of appetite lShortness of breath lDiarrhoea
Upon noticing some of the above symptoms, please do not delay to visit your clinicians.
South Africa has a mutant strain of Covid-19, 501.V2 which is said to be very fast. More people are affected with many hospital admissions lately, putting a strain on already overwhelmed hospitals. Health workforce has been overwhelmed as well with numerous reports of nurses and doctors being infected. That is more misery as the infected medical personnel cannot be at work as they spend at least 14 days in isolation, naturally putting more pressure on the understaffed clinics and hospitals. Zimbabwe was caught unaware this time after the opening of the borders in December 2020. Many people flocked from countries like South Africa, Botswana, the United Kingdom, Zambia without serious consideration of the border entry requirements. Now we are in trouble as a nation, many have been infected and more deaths are coming daily. The unfortunate thing is that no one seems to know when this pandemic will come to an end. We have to pray to our living God for the health of our nation. Zimbabwe, like many African countries, is a low-resource country that has poor capacity to handle many complicated Covid-19 patients at once. Ventilators are very few.
In case you suspect Covid-19 or you have been diagnosed with Covid-19, please do the following:
For those who have symptoms, please visit your clinicians for examination and testing. You can do antibody rapid diagnostic testing (RDT), rapid antigen testing or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) commonly done through nasal or throat washings. Please note that a negative PCR does not mean you have no Covid-19. PCR carries a 68% sensitivity with it, meaning you can still miss about 32% of the Covid-19. Your symptoms should be matched with the results from the laboratory. You can also do Lactate Dehydrogenase and Lymphocyte ratio. Follow what your doctors recommend but if you feel you are worsening at home or in isolation, please seek clinic or hospital management.
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Accept that Covid-19 is a reality and is for everyone regardless of social status. Do not ever deny that you will never have Covid-19 yet you are on this earth. Denialism has never worked to protect you, instead, so many complications come because of delay to seek treatment. Any suspicion of Covid-19 means you ought to take extra care of not infecting the next person or of preventing complications. Getting short of breath may not be a good signal as there may be need for oxygen. The need for oxygen has resulted in higher demand of this special commodity, hence the congestion in hospitals. Hypoxia is a serious killer so avoid getting to this stage from the first time. Covid-19 is a reality.
Let us accept that Covid-19 is there among us. The earlier you take action, the better health you get. Don’t be counted on sorrowful statistics. l Dr Johannes Marisa is a medical practitioner and public health practitioner who writes in his personal capacity. He can be contacted on: [email protected].
